BETWEEN THE LINER NOTES

Brandon Heath: Just "Wait and See"

By Hannah GoodwynCBN.com Producer

CBN.com
 Thursday night, Brandon Heath took home three Dove Awards for Male Vocalist of the Year, and Pop/Contemporary Song of the Year and Song of the Year for "Give Me Your Eyes.” His widely popular tune has been a Christian radio favorite since his album, What If We, released last summer. In fact, it peaked at #1 on the Billboard’s Hot Christian Songs Chart.

During his acceptance speech, Brandon shared about how his road to becoming a Christian artist began with his love for writing songs. Before his first album, Don't Get Comfortable, Brandon was satisified with just being the songwriter -- a passion he first discovered when he was growing up. He had partnered with Bebo Norman, Matt Wertz, Joy Williams, and others, and enjoyed creating songs that encourage people.

“Honestly, that’s the one thing that I’m most proud of because I’ve always thought of myself as a songwriter before anything else. That’s just a high for me – just being creative and collaborating with other people,” Brandon says.

Thankfully, Brandon took a leap of faith and is now sharing his music, as singer and songwriter.

Trusting God with Everything

Brandon told Christian Music Planet, “I want to communicate what God is teaching me and what I am learning from Jesus and I want to put it into music.”

Fans can listen to Brandon’s conversations with God on his new release, What If We, which debuted at #3 on Billboard’s Top Christian Albums chart. “Trust You” and “Wait and See” are two tracks in particular that show a more vulnerable side to Brandon and what he's learning in his personal walk with Christ.

"“Trust You” was just out of a place of frustration, of I can’t hide,” Brandon says.

I’m not going to fight you anymore. I’m not going to try and lock the door. You took your life and gave me yours. There’s no reason why I shouldn’t trust you with mine.
("Trust You", What If We)

“If God gave us His son, then He trusted the world. Maybe He trusted the world to take His son,” Brandon explains. “He foresaw it. There’s no reason why I shouldn’t trust God with my life. He trusted us with His son’s life. There’s no reason why I couldn’t trust Him with mine.”

Brandon hopes this song is a blessing to believers who struggle with giving everything to God, but he doesn’t want its influence to stay inside the Christian sub-culture.

He says, “I hope that a lot of non-believers hear that song. That [they say}, ‘I can’t deny you anymore. I know there’s a God. There is no reason that I can think of why I should deny Him anymore.’”

The Song of His LIfe

One of Brandon’s favorite tracks off the new record is an autobiographical song called “Wait and See.”

“I think it’s the sequel to “I’m Not Who I Was,” my last song, because it says everything about the possibilities of what God can do through me and not believing some of the things that other people put in my head about myself. That I wasn’t any good,” Brandon says.

Landing a record deal was a risk for him and Reunion Records, in Brandon’s mind. Being a songwriter, he wasn’t too sure what his success would be as a singer. He had anxiety about taking that risky step. But, he soon learned God had big plans for him, as He does for us all.

“I feel like I’ve gained a lot of confidence, not just because I’ve done well on the radio, but confidence that I’m allowed to put myself out there and allowed to speak and people will hear,” he says. “I think anybody would be encouraged to know that what they’re doing makes a difference.”

That's what's so cool about his “phone campaign.” A friend gave him the idea to print his number on his CDs so fans could talk to him personally. It worked so well after the first album released, that he’s done it again. So, if you’re in the mood to chat with Brandon or just bless him with some encouraging words, get the album and give him a call.